Chapter 156: Two Paths of Fate

“We’re really worried about you, Miss. We hate our powerlessness even more, unable to help at all while watching you face that terrifying enemy alone…”

“Ever since the plan started, I’ve been regretting my weakness every moment, concerned that everything we’ve done is in vain, fearing that there’s no way for you to return… But now that you’re finally back, it’s wonderful, truly wonderful…”

As the young girl with a tail braid continued to pour out her feelings, the Priestess felt the sincerity in her heart gradually silencing her.

To be honest, the more she delved into Ming Xi’s existence and past, the more Vilyric couldn’t help but marvel at the high status she held among the ancient spirit beings, to the point of being speechless.

Be it Swallow or Xuan Shu, it wasn’t worth mentioning how they had survived the calamity a thousand years ago or how they had been reborn in this era. Yet, just such a deeply cunning and meticulous strong figure could be moved to tears in front of someone she had only met for the second time.

All because she had realized the possibility of Ming Xi existing as the Spiritual Fox Priestess.

This was not a sincere emotion that one could fake or disguise. The name Ming Xi in her heart might as well be her reborn parents.

So much so that Vilyric couldn’t bear to utter the cold-hearted words, “You’ve mistaken me; I’m not her,” to shatter the girl’s precious hope of salvation.

Truly… a deeply sinful woman.

“Ha…”

With a self-deprecating sigh barely heard by anyone, Vilyric shook her head, responding to the girl with a mix of ambiguity and honesty.

“Although I’d love to agree here, unfortunately, I can’t give you a completely satisfying answer.”

“Believe it or not, the truth is, I don’t recall anything from a thousand years ago… including my past with you. It wasn’t until recent years that my consciousness began to awaken again.”

“What…?”

The girl with the tail braid, who had been overcome with joy, looked as if struck by lightning, her face going stiff. It was hard to believe as she stared wide-eyed, hurriedly examining the Priestess from head to toe, finally landing on her genuine, clear silver-blue eyes.

“Miss, you… You must have lost your memory? But how is that possible? You’re the Spiritual Fox Priestess!”

Scratching her head, the black-haired girl said helplessly.

“Memory loss might look that way to you, but from my perspective, I don’t feel like there’s anything missing in my memories.”

“I’m unable to divulge some secrets due to privacy, but in fact, I truly don’t remember any interactions I’ve had with Xuan Shu. I apologize, but if this disappoints you, we can pretend today never happened, keeping our secrets and owing nothing to each other, right?”

“How could… this…?”

Struggling to accept it, Swallow murmured to herself but quickly reacted.

“So, Vilyric is not a fake name created by you to conceal your identity?”

“Of course not! In the end, while I indeed possess that power, the name Spiritual Fox Priestess Ming Xi is something I’ve only just come to know.”

“Whew…”

It seemed to take a long time for the girl to finally grasp this shocking truth as a look of contemplation slowly emerged on her face.

“I’m starting to understand. No wonder you arranged for so many people to do various things; no wonder I couldn’t get any information about you for a long time — neither death nor existence, even the heavens offered no trace of you. If it’s Miss, it’s indeed possible that you managed something like ‘out of death and back to life’…”

“Though it might be a bit rude, Miss, could you… let me see your true form? I mean the appearance known to the world. While I’m honored to see the real you, my strength hasn’t yet fully recovered; only by contacting more intuitive clues can I deduce some information.”

“I think that should hold significance and value for you too.”

“Another fortune-telling, huh… Seems like you have no intention of giving up, alright then…”

Nodding, as Swallow’s hopeful and eager gaze was upon her, the Mask of the God Fox was gently placed on, transforming the Priestess into a white-haired, fox-eared figure.

“Miss…”

Almost the instant she laid eyes on that figure again, tears rolled down Swallow’s cheeks as she vigorously wiped away the moisture caused by her excitement, desperately suppressing the urge to embrace her, extending a slightly trembling hand that merely rested on Miss White Fox’s soft, smooth palm.

“Wah… Miss, pardon my intrusion…”

Sigh.

With a subtle sigh in her heart, Vilyric did not pull away but remained alert while allowing that power, tinged with a faint sense of causality, to flow into her.

There was no doubt that the girl claiming to be Xuan Shu, now named Swallow, was using her own method to carry out the fortune-telling. Though the method was even more abstract than when it came to the One-eyed Mystic, considering she might have been a confidante of the Spiritual Fox Priestess, it felt acceptable to grant her some trust.

After all, Vilyric had changed from how she once was. She now possessed a deeper understanding of the forces that influenced the threads of fate. If the other party had malicious intentions, she could always perceive it and react immediately.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenarios imagined did not occur. The power transmitted from Swallow’s hand did not run amok but lingered slightly at the point of contact between them, quickly retracting back into her body as soon as their limbs separated.

“That’s enough, Miss.”

“Is that sufficient? You fortune tellers sure have a casual approach to your methods!”

Swallow’s face immediately showed a bitter smile.

“Miss, you are the Spiritual Fox Priestess, having experienced countless years in this world; the causal power surrounding you is immense. Not only do I lack my past strength, but even at my peak, I wouldn’t dare to pry overly into your destined threads. I just merely used a clever trick to verify some things.”

“Ha ha, just who has experienced countless years, huh… So, did you find anything out?”

“Um…”

On this topic, the girl quickly became serious.

“Since Miss has lost her past memories, you probably don’t remember the unique secret technique ‘Heavenly Obscuration Divination Method’ that you taught me, so I’ll explain it in a more intuitive way.”

“Currently, two completely different yet seemingly related destinies are intertwined around you, coming together in a form I can’t comprehend; perhaps this is the reason why you’ve been asleep until now and lost your memories…”

“Though I’ve only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, those two destinies are incredibly powerful, one of which ought to be the powers you once wielded, while the other remains unclear.”

“This situation is something I’ve never encountered before, so I can’t determine its good or bad aspects and the impact it might have on you, but from what I know of you, this might… be something you arranged yourself.”

“Perhaps the former you… already anticipated today’s situation. If that’s the case, there’s no need to overly worry.”

   

---